Jax pulled his hood low. "Get to the point, Dallas. You've never cared this much about 'the city.' What do you really want?"
Dallas smiled, though there was a flash of hurt in his eyes. "You always think me a selfish man, Jax. You think I am disconnected from the world."
"Aren't you?"
"I used my life savings to order a Reactor Chip for my research," Dallas admitted, his voice trembling. "It was on that train. It's the only one of its kind."
Yuna looked at Jax, her brown eyes wide with concern. "Professor, are you out of your mind? A mineral train is guarded by high-ranking soldiers—and they have a Transformer rank dude with them!"
Dallas lowered his head in shame. "I know. But we cannot let it go." He adjusted the monocle over his left eye and turned back to a workbench. "I have a plan."
He spread a massive blueprint across a table cluttered with mechanical parts. "This is the schematic for the transport train. Sections 1 through 6 carry the raw minerals heading west. But sections 7 through 12... those contain the mechanical components. They are far more valuable. The hijackers will likely detach those sections and take them."
"How do we find them?" Jax asked, leaning over the map.
"I anticipated a delay," Dallas said, reaching into his apron. "I had a tracking device placed inside the Reactor Chip's crate. Expensive, but necessary."
He handed Jax a round, silver device that resembled a heavy pocket watch. On its glass screen, a glowing green dot pulsed against a map of the Western Continent.
"The signal is live," Dallas whispered. "It's moving."
Yuna leaned in, her eyes reflecting the green glow. "Where are they taking it?"
"The Gear Port," Jax answered for him, his voice hardening. "They're heading for the port to ship it out."
Jax tucked the tracker into his pocket, his gaze sharp and determined. "We catch them before they reach the docks."
A spark of excitement finally replaced the fear in Yuna's eyes. The hunt was on.